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Expressionist Portrait Paintings

EXPRESSIONIST STYLE

While “expressionist” is used to describe any art that avoids naturalism and instead employs a bold use of flattened forms and intense brushwork, Expressionist art formally describes early-20th-century work from Europe that drew on Symbolism and confronted issues such as urbanization and capitalism. Expressionist artists experimented in paintings and prints with skewed perspectives, abstraction and unconventional, bright colors to portray how isolating and anxious the world felt rather than how it appeared. 

Between 1905 and 1920, Austrian and German artists, in particular, were inspired by Postimpressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh in their efforts to strive for a new authenticity in their work. In its geometric patterns and decorative details, Expressionist art was also marked by eclectic sources like German and Russian folk art as well as tribal art from Africa and Oceania, which the movement’s practitioners witnessed at museums and world’s fairs.

Groups of artists came together to share and promote the themes now associated with Expressionism, such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) in Dresden, which included Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and investigated alienation and the dissolution of society in vivid color. In Munich, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, instilled Expressionism with a search for spiritual truths. In his iconic painting The Scream, prolific Norwegian painter Edvard Munch conveyed emotional turmoil through his depiction of environmental elements, such as the threatening sky.

Expressionism shifted around the outbreak of World War I, with artists using more elements of the grotesque in reaction to the escalation of unrest and violence. Printmaking was especially popular, as it allowed artists to widely disseminate works that grappled with social and political issues amid this time of upheaval. Although the art movement ended with the rise of Nazi Germany, where Expressionist creators were labeled “degenerate,” the radical ideas of these artists would influence Neo-Expressionism that emerged in the late 1970s with painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.

​​Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Expressionist
Meadow Journey
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Meadow Journey" by Desmond Akindoju is an enchanting masterpiece that beckons viewers into a realm where innocence meets introspection. The focal poi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Meadow Journey
Meadow Journey
$2,280 Sale Price
20% Off
What If
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In "What If," a mesmerizing artwork by the talented artist Obiora Anamaleze, a woman is depicted holding an apple with her face concealed by flowing l...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

What If
What If
$1,880 Sale Price
20% Off
Self Love
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Self Love," a poignant creation by Adegbola Deborah, celebrates the essence of self-acceptance and the transformative power of embracing one's true identity. At the heart of this artwork is a young woman, beautifully depicted with a sense of authenticity that transcends societal norms and standards. The title, "Self Love," serves as a guiding principle for the viewers, emphasizing the importance of unconditional self-love. The accompanying message is a powerful reminder that true self-love goes beyond superficial aspects such as physical appearance. It encourages us to look within and understand the depth of our being, recognizing that our worth is not determined by external factors like the shape of our face, the size of our eyes, the length of our hair, or the quality of our clothes. The artwork's portrayal of the young woman becomes a visual narrative of empowerment through a positive mindset. The idea that one's self is a treasure reinforces the concept that within each individual lies a wealth of potential, unique qualities, and inherent value. The emphasis on self-love as the most important love of one's life underscores the significance of cultivating a compassionate and nurturing relationship with oneself. Adegbola Deborah's "Self Love" stands as a profound reminder to viewers to appreciate and embrace their authentic selves. In a world that often imposes unrealistic standards, this artwork serves as an empowering beacon, encouraging individuals to cherish their uniqueness, and fostering a deep connection with the essence of who they are. Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery) About Artist Deborah is a very promising budding Nigerian artist who was fortunate to be born into the idyllic serenity of the agrarian town of Saki, surrounded by the immensely inspirational botanical splendor that the community had to offer. These assets combined to nurture the newly discovered talent waiting to be expressed by the young artist who was only fifteen then, having been born in the nineties. Deborah usually derives her creative impulse from nature, everyday experiences, her own sensitive reactions, and her unique interpretation of events and phenomena with a marked inclination towards realism. Hence Deborah's works are at once her own means of catharsis and a vehicle for the showcasing of nature's beauty and by extension human beauty with a particular emphasis on feminine charm. From another perspective, her works represent her own reaction to everyday emerging and re-emerging phenomena hence are inevitably her own self-disclosure. Having been raised within a polygamous home she finds herself equipped with the necessary native intelligence for a mature interpretation of experiences. Deborah is both a gifted artist and a talented scholar. She attended the Polytechnic Ibadan Eruwa campus after which she obtained a degree in fine arts from Olabisi Onabanjo University emerging as the best student at graduation. A prominent part of Deborah's style is the use of flowers or floral background patterns in her works. These serve to reflect her enchantment with nature. Also, traces of impressionism are to be found in her creations. In highlighting feminine assets she chooses to focus on women...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Self Love
Self Love
$1,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Shepherds Seat
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
There is a place of becoming before entering into a thing. There is a change of behavior and attitude that accommodates the new. They say a man becomes a husband before he is married...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Shepherds Seat
Shepherds Seat
$1,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Elevated
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Elevated" by Obiora Anamaleze is a striking and enigmatic artwork that invites viewers into a world of profound symbolism and contemplation. The cent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Elevated
Elevated
$2,080 Sale Price
20% Off
Road to Becoming
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Road to Becoming" is a compelling artwork by the talented artist Toheeb Bankole, featuring a young woman at its center. The piece serves as a profound ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Road to Becoming
Road to Becoming
$1,480 Sale Price
20% Off
Star Girl 1
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This painting depicts the enthusiasm, strength, and passion in getting things done with the readiness to achieve the dream of their talent and charisma Shipping Procedure Ships in ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Star Girl 1
Star Girl 1
$1,752 Sale Price
20% Off
Gallant
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Gallant
Gallant
$1,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Eniyan (Human) 7
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Victim (Boy)
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Oil

Victim (Boy)
Victim (Boy)
$1,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Black Pose
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Black Pose for Beauty, Elegance, and More Black pose for beauty, elegance, and grace, A stance that defies and leaves a lasting trace. It speaks of strength and dignity too, A symbol...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Black Pose
Black Pose
$1,480 Sale Price
20% Off
Falcons Ambition
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Amongst the most impressive birds to watch hunt, Falcons are known for their formidable strength and speed, sharp eyesight, lethal nature, and deadly hunting skills. Falcon symbolizes ambition and aspirations, superiority in high order and dominance, freedom, and victory. It represents the fight against our fears as well as a metaphor for clear vision. This piece is dedicated to every woman from all parts of the world, for your strength and mother nature. (Written by the Artist) Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Osoba Omoayo George...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Polymer

Now You See Me
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Now you see me" is an art depicting mental clarity. A seat we all must sit on to understand our own strengths, weaknesses, and consecrations. Knowing where...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Now You See Me
Now You See Me
$1,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Ajoke 1
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Àjoké, You are not a joke, But out of your spring Series of bubbling waves of laughter That remains undiluted like a freshly tapped wine. Ìbàdí àrán, I heard that you make men Run a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Ballpoint Pen

Ajoke 1
Ajoke 1
$2,800 Sale Price
20% Off
Bold Expressionist Rabbi, Judaica painting
By Ted Jaslow
Located in Surfside, FL
TED JASLOW Brooklyn, New York, USA, b. 1934 Ted Jaslow (b.1934) was born in Brooklyn, New York, the grandson of a Russian woodcarver. He was initially interested in sculpture, and l...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Bon Voyage
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
At this point in time I have come to the realization that as time jumps, I have to evolve, and personal responsibilities become heavier as we want for greater things in life. I am not settling for less anymore so we can't go back to the hood doing the norms, I told my friends I’d be gone only for a few years so I go with my sketchbook and life jacket...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Polymer

Bon Voyage
Bon Voyage
$1,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Declined Expectation
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Sometimes as individuals, our expectations are not met or sometimes disorganized when we find ourselves in a confusing situation that has to do with going on a date. We are always anxious about going on a date we are already thrilled about and can't wait to explore that beautiful moment but unexpectedly our expectation was declined due to certain turn-off symbols or what we do dislike experiencing, but that shouldn't end up trying to overcome the unexpected to achieve the expected and aim of dating and love life. Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery) About Artist Joshua Salami...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Looking Beyond 5
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Great old age" nude portrait china ink 50x65cm on paper oak frame 2008
Located in Saint Pol de Léon, Bretagne
nude portrait "Great old age" china ink 50x65cm on paper dignity and fragility, pathetic and admirable delivered in oak and glass frame
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Ink

What Next?
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Don't feel anxious and frightened, if you worry too much, it turns into a burden that becomes hard to bear and can lead to difficulties in the state of mind. You should not retreat but prevail by standing tall. As you get older, life becomes more challenging. Life is always full of expectations. Never dwell in the past, but Embrace the present and look into the future...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

What Next?
What Next?
$2,350 Sale Price
20% Off
Muted Echoes
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Women today should be unstoppable in pursuing or achieving their dreams in media, sport, technology, medicine, engineering, and Art A woman can create a balance between her personal ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Muted Echoes
Muted Echoes
$2,300 Sale Price
20% Off
Disegno ritratto figurativo espressionista nudo femminile toscano del XX secolo
Located in Florence, IT
Il disegno, penna con inchiostri di diversi colori su carta, è firmato e datato L. NOCENTINI 91. La carta si presenta di un bel colore marrone nocciola, anche se con la luce del vide...
Category

1990s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Reclining Figure in Blue — Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Erotic Nude
Located in London, London
KEYWORDS: A contemporary figurative painting, modern expressionist portrait, bold colourful wall art, large original artwork for collectors, expressive reclining figure, contemporar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Tempera

Marian Begg, Expressionist Oil on Masonite Portrait Painting by Joseph Solman
Located in Long Island City, NY
In the mid-1960s Joseph Solman (American, 1909 - 2008) was commissioned to create portraits of the Begg family. This is a portrait of Marian Begg, the mother in the mid-century nuclear family...
Category

1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Voodoo Ceremony Outdoors with Vodou Chicken Sacrifice
Located in Miami, FL
In this work, Haitian Master Wilson Bigaud focuses on fleeting moments of a Voodoo scene. He depicts the sacrifices of two chickens to the spirits. It is a gift to the divine, a w...
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Soulmate 1
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Fresh look
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this vivid oil painting, I've poured my soul into capturing the raw intensity of human emotion through a close-up of the eye. The piece blends expressionism's vivid emotionality w...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Portrait Of A Young Woman Mixed Media On Paper
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Young Model Expressionist Portrait Rutsch is always "scribbling and scrabbling." He is an artist of the purest breed—an artist who has no choice but to paint. He is a chosen traveler of the depths of existence; a man who follows a longing to explore his inner self and relate his findings with the energy and identity of the universe. The celebrated Austrian artist approaches painting and sculpture as he lives life—with the eyes of a child and the hand of a poet. Constantly in the quest for rhythms of form and vibrations of color, he catches those "sparks in the shadow" and evidences their fullest reality and beauty in his creations. Each of his paintings is a careful construction as it is a spontaneous act of love. While he might attribute certain artistic expressions to "coincidence," his inspiration comes from such diverse sources as: memories, dreams, sounds, numbers, telephone poles and drift wood. Rutsch has an affinity to vibrant colors, strong contours and rich brush strokes which are apparent in his oils, mixed media works and ink drawings. He has a sensitivity to the unusual, the discarded and a fondness for the ugly as well as the chaotic. These, he often transforms into poignant welded steel abstractions. Rutsch has an aversion to politics, citing dates and expounding upon honors achieved. There is no talk about 'profound symbolism' in his work and as Carlo McCormick writes in the introduction to Rutsch's monograph, "Meaning is not a seed that Rutsch plants, nurtures and then harvests. It is what grows wild in a volcanic swamp of fossilized, decaying and new-born fancies—as an afterthought and aftershock." Alexander Rutsch is not concerned with interpretations; he is, however, passionate about the process of making art and surrenders his entire being as an instrument to the act of creation. The geometry of his imagination overflows with figures, profiles and penetrating strong eyes—windows to a deeper place. Their vitality and sensuality pulsate through the "dreamscapes" of Rutsch's created worlds. At times romantic, yet always wild with energy, human forms and experiences are essential to the artist's vocabulary. The son of opera singers and a singer himself, Rutsch speaks of "the art of painting as the art of silence" and the job of the painter "to dedicate himself to the silence." He adds though, "that this silence is the greatest existing sound in the universe." One wonders why then, if painting is "the art of silence," that Rutsch's paintings scream with sound. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes sensual, sometimes dissonant and sometimes whispering, the rhythms are always rich in the celebration of life and our shared humanity. Painter, sculptor and poet, Rutsch's oeuvre over the past four decades is tremendous. Celebrated and collected especially in Vienna, Paris, Brussels and New York, he studied with renowned teachers like Boeckl and Dorowsky and collaborated with such geniuses as Salvador Dali. Having left Vienna in the fifties, Rutsch moved to Paris and took the city's art scene by storm. There, Picasso was so enthralled with a portrait Rutsch has done of him that, in a state of great excitement, he countersigned it. Biography Alexander Rutsch was born in Russia in 1916 but raised in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. After studying voice in Austria he became an opera singer like his parents, but after WWII, Rutsch's love for visual expression propelled him to change careers. He was a painter, sculptor, philosopher, musician, singer and poet. His life as a romantic is reflected in his work, as he sought to perfect his soul and humanity, "I paint my dreams," said Rutsch. "My dreams are color and life. They soar in my head like millions of symphonies. I can never stop building dreams." In 1952, after studying under Josef Dobrowsky, Josef Hoffmann and Herbert Boeckl at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, Alexander Rutsch received a scholarship to study in France. There he made contacts and began collaborations with his contemporaries, Picasso and Dali. Rutsch said of his experiences with Picasso, "Picasso played a short but important moment in my life in Paris that affected my entire artistic future. I learned from him that it is not important if art is not aesthetically finished. It can be raw, uncooked, rough. If an artist feels he has said it—it is not important to polish or finish it. Because of Picasso, I learned that if I don't feel the need to finish—I don't have to." In 1954 he exhibited his work at the Salon Artistique International de Saceux and won first prize for abstract painting, the first of may awards received during his prolific career. During the 13 years he lived in Paris, Rutsch exhibited in many prominent galleries there and throughout Europe. In 1958, The City of Paris awarded him the prestigious Arts, Science and Letters Silver Medal. In 1966, Jean Desvilles presented his prize winning film "Le Monde de Rutsch" at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Biennial. In 1968 Rutsch moved to Pelham, New York where he continued to work in his studio and exhibit in galleries and museums worldwide. Rutsch's work, as seen through his mastery of many art forms—sculpture, painting, print-making, and drawing, and a wide variety of other media has been described as "vibrating showers of lines, bold geometries, wounded anatomically rambling scrap-wood skeletons...
Category

1980s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Blonde in Red Swim Suit, Expressionist Watercolor by Charles Levier
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Charles Levier, French (1920 - 2003) Title: Blonde I Year: circa 1960 Medium: Watercolor on paper, signed l.l. Size: 16 x 11 inches Paper Size: 25 x 19.5 in. (63.5 x 49.53 cm)
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Fatuous, oil painting, male figure, art historical classical theme
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Award winning painter Tom Bennett was raised in a painter's household, learned to paint from his father. Born in Norwalk, Ct., the painter/printmaker lived in Brooklyn, NY until movi...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Modernist Orchestra Musical Gouache Painting Boston Expressionist
Located in Surfside, FL
Very vibrant, dynamic orchestra scene reminiscent of the work of Mopp (Max Oppenheim) David Aronson, (1923-2015) son of a rabbi, was born in Lithuania in 1923 and immigrated to America at the age of five. He settled in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts under Karl Zerbe, a German painter well known in the early 1900s. Aronson later taught at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts for fourteen years and founded the School of Fine Art at Boston University where he is today a professor emeritus. An internationally renowned sculptor & painter, Aronson has won acclaim for his interpretation of themes from the Hebrew Talmud and Kabala. His best known works include bronze castings, encaustic paintings, and pastels. His work is included in many important public and private collections, and has been shown in several museum retrospectives around the country. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th century American artists. At twenty-two David Aronson had his first one-man show at New York's Niveau Gallery. The next year, six of his Christological paintings were included in the Fourteen Americans exhibition at Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art where Aronson’s work was included alongside abstract expressionists Arshile Gorky, Robert Motherwell and Isamu Noguchi. In the 1950s, Aronson turned more toward his Jewish heritage for the inspiration for his art. Folklore as well as Kabalistic and other transcendental writings influenced his work greatly. The Golem (a legendary figure, brought to life by the Maharal of Prague out of clay to protect the Jewish community during times of persecution) and the Dybbuk (an evil spirit that lodges itself in the soul of a living person until exorcised) frequently appear in his work. In the sixties, Aronson turned to sculpture. His work during this period is best exemplified by a magnificent 8’ x 4’ bronze door which now stands at the entrance to Frank Lloyd Wright's Johnson Foundation Conference Center for the Arts in Racine, Wisconsin. In the seventies and eighties, Aronson continued his work in pastel drawings, paintings, and sculptures, often exploring religion and the frailties of man's nature. During this time, in addition to a traveling retrospective exhibition and many one-man shows in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston at the Pucker-Safrai Gallery on Newbury Street, Aronson won many awards and became a member of the National Academy of Design in New York. Two years ago he retired from teaching to work full-time in his studio in Sudbury, Massachusetts. included in the catalog Contemporary Religious Imagery in American Art Catalog for an exhibition held at the Ringling Museum of Art, March 1-31, 1974. Artists represented: David Aronson, Leonard Baskin, Max Beckmann, Hyman Bloom, Fernando Botero, Paul Cadmus, Marvin Cherney, Arthur G. Dove, Philip Evergood, Adolph Gottlieb, Jonah Kinigstein, Rico Lebrun, Jack Levine, Louise Nevelson, Barnett Newman, Abraham Rattner, Ben Shahn, Mark Tobey, Max Weber, William Zorach and others. Selected Awards 1990, Certificate of Merit, National Academy of Design 1976, Purchase Prize, National Academy of Design 1976, Joseph Isidore Gold Medal, National Academy of Design 1976, Purchase Prize in Drawing, Albrecht Art Museum 1975, Isaac N. Maynard Prize for Painting, National Academy of Design 1973, Samuel F. B. Morse Gold Medal, National Academy of Design 1967, Purchase Prize, National Academy of Fine Arts 1967, Adolph and Clara Obrig Prize, National Academy of Design 1963, Gold Medal, Art Directors Club of Philadelphia 1961, 62, 63, Purchase Prize, National Institute of Arts and Letters 1960, John Siimon Guggenheim Fellowship 1958, Grant in Art, National Institute of Arts and Letters 1954, First Prize, Tupperware Annual Art Fund Award 1954, Grand Prize, Third Annual Boston Arts Festival 1953, Second Prize, Second Annual Boston Arts Festival 1952, Grand Prize, First Annual Boston Arts Festival 1946, Traveling Fellowship, School of the Museum of Fine Arts 1946, Purchase Prize, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts 1944, First Popular Prize, Institute of Contemporary Art 1944, First Judge's Prize, Institute of Contemporary Art Selected Public Collections Art Institute of Chicago Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Bryn Mawr College Brandeis University Tupperware Museum, Orlando, Florida DeCordova Museum Museum of Modern Art Print Collection, New York Atlanta University Atlanta Art...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Gouache, Board

Red Lady, Watercolor Painting by Charles Levier
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Charles Levier, French (1920 - 2003) Title: Red Lady Year: circa 1970 Medium: Watercolor on paper, signed l.l. Size: 16 x 11 inches Paper Size: 25 x 1...
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Mother s portrait. 1917, oil on canvas, 60x50 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Mother's portrait. 1917, oil on canvas, 60x50 cm With certificate of authenticity Romans Suta Born on April 28, 1896 in the vicinity of Cesis (Latvia), died on July 14, 1944 in T...
Category

1910s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

cold snap, strange character dressed for winter, red coat
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on wood
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil

At the autumn garden. Oil on cardboard, 80 x 57 cm
Located in Riga, LV
At the autumn garden. Oil on cardboard, 80x57 cm Janis Rikmanis (1901.5.IV – 1968.25.III) graduated Figurative painting studio of Latvia Art academy (1931). He took part in exhibiti...
Category

1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Woman portrait. 1955, oil on canvas, 50.5 x 40.6 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Woman portrait. 1955, oil on canvas, 50.5 x 40.6 cm Provenance Bonhams
Category

1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Christmas wish 60X90
Located in Zofingen, AG
In the soft embrace of oil pastels, I've lovingly woven a tapestry of pure innocence and wonder. My brushstrokes carry the gentle weight of dreams, as this young muse, with fairy win...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lilaine Danino, Rose de sable, painting
Located in Tel Aviv, IL
Liliane Danino, Rose des sables, Queen of the desert, natural pigment, fabric and mixed media on canvas, hand-signed and dated lower right, woman of vi...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Pigment

Collective farmer. 1980, watercolor on paper, 57, 5x58 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Collective farmer. 1980, watercolor on paper, 57,5x58 cm Dzidra Bauma (1930) Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural compositions,...
Category

1980s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Half-length portrait of an elderly bearded man - Melancholy of a prophet -
Located in Berlin, DE
Friedrich August Seitz (1902 Staffort - 1944 Belgrade). Half-length portrait of an elderly man with a beard. Oil on canvas, 42 x 34 cm (visible seize), 58 x 50 cm (frame), signed and...
Category

1920s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Jeremy on acid - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary figurative painting
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas Signed Unique work
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Woman
Located in Wien, 9
Deling with the work of Erich Waske today, one encounters first of all a number of reasons why this outstanding artist has fallen into such undeserved oblivion. In addition to the de...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Russian Girl with an Itch (SMALENSK)
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Oil on canvas.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fashion Girl, Expressionist Portrait of a Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Fashion Girl" is an oil on board portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon of a stylishly dressed woman sitting on a chair. This work features a se...
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Untitled
Located in San Francisco, CA
This expressive, figurative portrait is by Cliffton Peacock (1953- 2024). The painting measures 40 x 34 inches (42 x 36 inches framed.) It is composed of oil on canvas. The painting ...
Category

1990s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of A Young Model Work On Paper
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Portrait Of A Young Model Work On Paper Rutsch is always "scribbling and scrabbling." He is an artist of the purest breed—an artist who has no choice but to paint. He is a chosen traveler of the depths of existence; a man who follows a longing to explore his inner self and relate his findings with the energy and identity of the universe. The celebrated Austrian artist approaches painting and sculpture as he lives life—with the eyes of a child and the hand of a poet. Constantly in the quest for rhythms of form and vibrations of color, he catches those "sparks in the shadow" and evidences their fullest reality and beauty in his creations. Each of his paintings is a careful construction as it is a spontaneous act of love. While he might attribute certain artistic expressions to "coincidence," his inspiration comes from such diverse sources as: memories, dreams, sounds, numbers, telephone poles and drift wood. Rutsch has an affinity to vibrant colors, strong contours and rich brush strokes which are apparent in his oils, mixed media works and ink drawings. He has a sensitivity to the unusual, the discarded and a fondness for the ugly as well as the chaotic. These, he often transforms into poignant welded steel abstractions. Rutsch has an aversion to politics, citing dates and expounding upon honors achieved. There is no talk about 'profound symbolism' in his work and as Carlo McCormick writes in the introduction to Rutsch's monograph, "Meaning is not a seed that Rutsch plants, nurtures and then harvests. It is what grows wild in a volcanic swamp of fossilized, decaying and new-born fancies—as an afterthought and aftershock." Alexander Rutsch is not concerned with interpretations; he is, however, passionate about the process of making art and surrenders his entire being as an instrument to the act of creation. The geometry of his imagination overflows with figures, profiles and penetrating strong eyes—windows to a deeper place. Their vitality and sensuality pulsate through the "dreamscapes" of Rutsch's created worlds. At times romantic, yet always wild with energy, human forms and experiences are essential to the artist's vocabulary. The son of opera singers and a singer himself, Rutsch speaks of "the art of painting as the art of silence" and the job of the painter "to dedicate himself to the silence." He adds though, "that this silence is the greatest existing sound in the universe." One wonders why then, if painting is "the art of silence," that Rutsch's paintings scream with sound. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes sensual, sometimes dissonant and sometimes whispering, the rhythms are always rich in the celebration of life and our shared humanity. Painter, sculptor and poet, Rutsch's oeuvre over the past four decades is tremendous. Celebrated and collected especially in Vienna, Paris, Brussels and New York, he studied with renowned teachers like Boeckl and Dorowsky and collaborated with such geniuses as Salvador Dali. Having left Vienna in the fifties, Rutsch moved to Paris and took the city's art scene by storm. There, Picasso was so enthralled with a portrait Rutsch has done of him that, in a state of great excitement, he countersigned it. Biography Alexander Rutsch was born in Russia in 1916 but raised in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. After studying voice in Austria he became an opera singer like his parents, but after WWII, Rutsch's love for visual expression propelled him to change careers. He was a painter, sculptor, philosopher, musician, singer and poet. His life as a romantic is reflected in his work, as he sought to perfect his soul and humanity, "I paint my dreams," said Rutsch. "My dreams are color and life. They soar in my head like millions of symphonies. I can never stop building dreams." In 1952, after studying under Josef Dobrowsky, Josef Hoffmann and Herbert Boeckl at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, Alexander Rutsch received a scholarship to study in France. There he made contacts and began collaborations with his contemporaries, Picasso and Dali. Rutsch said of his experiences with Picasso, "Picasso played a short but important moment in my life in Paris that affected my entire artistic future. I learned from him that it is not important if art is not aesthetically finished. It can be raw, uncooked, rough. If an artist feels he has said it—it is not important to polish or finish it. Because of Picasso, I learned that if I don't feel the need to finish—I don't have to." In 1954 he exhibited his work at the Salon Artistique International de Saceux and won first prize for abstract painting, the first of may awards received during his prolific career. During the 13 years he lived in Paris, Rutsch exhibited in many prominent galleries there and throughout Europe. In 1958, The City of Paris awarded him the prestigious Arts, Science and Letters Silver Medal. In 1966, Jean Desvilles presented his prize winning film "Le Monde de Rutsch" at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Biennial. In 1968 Rutsch moved to Pelham, New York where he continued to work in his studio and exhibit in galleries and museums worldwide. Rutsch's work, as seen through his mastery of many art forms—sculpture, painting, print-making, and drawing, and a wide variety of other media has been described as "vibrating showers of lines, bold geometries, wounded anatomically rambling scrap-wood skeletons...
Category

1980s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Charcoal, Oil Pastel

Peek a Bunny
Located in Toronto, ON
22" x 22" Framed Original - Oil on Canvas Hand Signed by Todd Whit Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting colors serving the viewer’s eyes as t...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Untitled" - Earth Tone Contemporary Expressionism Oil Painting of a Man
Located in Carmel, CA
Rizaldy Celi Jr. (American, Filipino-Vietnamese, born 1983) "Untitled" 2025 Oil Paint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom right of the...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Stretcher Bars

Grinning Man. Expressionist portrait cool blue and green colors
Located in Brooklyn, NY
ABOUT Stephen Basso No charge for frame Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provoking fantasies. His whimsical works are alive wi...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Harlequin
Located in Miami, FL
Her work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged. Her work creates a commentary about “beginnings” and the transmission of signs and emotions through visual elements evoking a spiritual essence to our scientific notion of etymology. After studying under Rolf Dürig...
Category

1990s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Patterns and Stripes, Expressionist Portrait by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Patterns and Stripes" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 40" x 34" oil on board portrait of two figures is painted in a muted color palette. The painting is framed in a new, gold frame and signed "Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. Bernard Harmon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. Harmon was primarily a portrait painter and a well loved teacher in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School and Temples Tyler School of Art, Harmon traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Beloved by many, Harmon taught in the Philadelphia School District for 32 of his 54 years of life. Beginning his career as an art teacher at West Philadelphia High School, in the early 1960s he became one of the district's artists in residence, traveling from school to school to demonstrate for students how an artist works. Returning to the classroom, Harmon joined the art department at Central High School where he taught for 14 years and became an innovator in art curriculum, developing a program offering advanced placement art classes to gifted students. In his final years Harmon became a supervisor, mentoring teachers and overseeing programs in the Philadelphia school systems District #1. During his short life Harmon taught collage preparatory art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, summer classes at the University of the Arts, and a Saturday program for gifted children at Drexel University. Among Harmon's portraits were commissioned by Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Bernard Harmon was active in promoting African American Artist throughout his life time. He organized many early shows such as the "Afro American Artists...
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Drums, Expressionist Group Portrait of Three Musicians by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Drums" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 34" x 40" oil on board group portrait of three musicians playing t...
Category

1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Will Be The Wolf
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Will Be The Wolf. Monika Dalek Polish contemporary artist. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. Diploma defended 2008 at the Faculty of Visual...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Patterns and Shapes, Expressionist Portrait by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Patterns and Shapes" is a portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 40" x 36" oil on board portrait is painted in a vibrant color palette. "St...
Category

1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Child Resting in Chair, Expressionist Portrait by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Child Resting in Chair" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 41" x 35.75" oil on board portrait is painted in a vibrant color palette. The painting is framed in a new, black wood frame and signed "Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. Bernard Harmon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. Harmon was primarily a portrait painter and a well loved teacher in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School and Temples Tyler School of Art, Harmon traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Beloved by many, Harmon taught in the Philadelphia School District for 32 of his 54 years of life. Beginning his career as an art teacher at West Philadelphia High School, in the early 1960s he became one of the district's artists in residence, traveling from school to school to demonstrate for students how an artist works. Returning to the classroom, Harmon joined the art department at Central High School where he taught for 14 years and became an innovator in art curriculum, developing a program offering advanced placement art classes to gifted students. In his final years Harmon became a supervisor, mentoring teachers and overseeing programs in the Philadelphia school systems District #1. During his short life Harmon taught collage preparatory art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, summer classes at the University of the Arts, and a Saturday program for gifted children at Drexel University. Among Harmon's portraits were commissioned by Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Bernard Harmon was active in promoting African American Artist throughout his life time. He organized many early shows such as the "Afro American Artists...
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Isa, Génie, Catou, Patoche and Didine - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Painting
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas 2018 Signed on the back Unique work
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Knee Socks Girl, Portrait by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Knee Sock Girl" is an oil on board portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon of a woman, seemingly lost in contemplation....
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Muse of Passion", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Passion" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another. Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control. The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project. While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil

"Muse of Confidence", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Confidence" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another. Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control. The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project. While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil

"Muse of Transition", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Transition" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another. Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control. The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project. While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil

Expressionist portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist portrait paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add portrait paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, red, purple, blue and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Bernard Harmon, Julien Wolf, Shana Wilson, and Masri Hayssam. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Fabric and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Expressionist portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 3.5 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1 and tops out at $190,000, while the average work sells for $3,000.

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